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Daxton Hill NFL Draft Profile
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Daxton Hill Scouting ReportDaxton is an extremely twitchy athlete who possesses ample amounts of constant potential energy. He has the athleticism to quickly adjust his angles in tight spaces, and his speed and explosiveness allow him to make up ground when he reacts late. The Michigan S shows off intense closing burst at the tackle point, and his impressive proportional length allows him to handle one-on-one situations. Hill is also exceptionally fluid. He’s extremely smooth and quick transitioning out of his backpedal. He can flip his hips and explode in an instant. This hip fluidity shows up downfield, where he’s shown he can flip and stick to receivers with ease. Hill can be an eraser in the deep third, but his combination of explosiveness and fluidity is also conducive to success in the box. Hill doesn’t play slow. He utilizes the full extent of his athleticism more often than not, and he’s also fairly aggressive. He’s shown physicality at the route stem on more than one occasion, and he has a willingness to engage ball carriers. Hill possesses a containment mentality as a tackler and doesn’t throw himself around recklessly. He flashes quick recognition ability and strong instincts when scanning the gaps in run defense. Hill’s shown he can key in on a quarterback’s eyes and decode his next course of action in real-time. Additionally, Hill has smooth footwork at the line. He maintains steady leverage before turning his hips. Hill has a great deal of versatility already. His athleticism affords him much of this flexibility. Nonetheless, Hill has shown he can handle roles in single-high, two-high, or the slot. |
Areas for ImprovementHe can be more consistent following the quarterback’s eyes, and he doesn’t always act on the information his own eyes give him. Hill can sometimes be indecisive and late to react in zone coverage, and his diagnosing skills can improve on the back end. Hill can also find a better balance between patience and aggressiveness, which should come with further mental refinement. Hill can easily be baited and led astray by misdirection plays. He doesn’t always take the best angles in pursuit and sometimes plays himself off-balance. In that same vein, Hill can overshoot tackling angles coming downhill. Daxton has trouble deconstructing blocks in run defense. His frame doesn’t carry much force into contact situations, and his inconsistency disengaging can render him inert on some plays. Furthermore, Hill can be more disruptive at the catch point. He can maintain better spacing in single-high coverage as well. |
Daxton Hill Career at MichiganHill arrived at Michigan in 2019 as one of the most anticipated recruits in recent memory. The coaches didn’t bother waiting to let Hill hit the field. And Hill, true to his five-star form, didn’t wait to start making plays. The Oklahoma native played in 13 games, accruing 36 tackles, 3 tackles for loss, 1 interception, 3 pass deflections, and 2 fumble recoveries. In 2020, Hill reprised his starting role and flourished despite a COVID-impacted season. Hill started all six games for the Wolverines and outproduced his 2019 campaign. He amassed 44 tackles, an interception, and 4 pass deflections. Hill was a standout for his team, and he took home Academic All-Big Ten honors as well. Now, Hill heads into his junior season. He’s long flashed NFL-worthy promise, and he has the physical tools to be a Round 1 pick. He’s trending up, but there’s still work to do. If Hill can continue to build on his physical foundation. |
Daxton Hill NFL Draft Player ProfileDaxton Hill will turn 21 years old in September, so he’s still incredibly young. Mental quickness is a combination of knowledge and confidence. At times, Hill has shown that he has the knowledge to recognize keys. However, he can sometimes be more confident in identifying and pursuing those keys. He must continue to study his keys and refine his mental process. Once he does that, and once things click, the Michigan S can be a special player. He covers ground with inhuman burst and speed. In coverage, this burst warrants his impressive range, and he also has the fluidity and foot speed to stick to players in man. |
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